It was a few days ago that 2015 UPSC topper Tina Dabi openly declared her relationship with Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, the guy who secured the second rank in the exam.
Needless to say, jokes and criticism poured in from all corners. Some were crass enough to make negative comments her caste (Dabi is the first Dalit woman to secure first rank in the exam), while others expressed shock over her marrying a Kashmiri Muslim, revealing the deep seated hypocrisy in our cultural ethos.
Talking to The Times of India, Dabi said the two haven’t decided on a wedding date yet, but will announce their engagement “very soon”.
They met at the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) office in North Block for a felicitation function on 11 May, the report added.
“We met in the morning and by evening Aamir was at my door. Uske liye pehli nazar mein pyaar ho gaya (For him, it was love at first sight)”, The Times of India quotes her as saying. “But I thank Aamir every day for his perseverance. He is a wonderful person.”
Dabi and Khan have been open about their relationship, posting photos on social media sites. Talking about all the negative comments they generated, she says:
We are in love and very happy . But I must admit that I get very disturbed when I read stuff about us. We have stopped googling our names and reading news about ourselves. I think it is a small price to pay for being in the public eye.Tina Dabi to TOI
“It's as if I have committed a crime by falling in love with someone who is not the same religion or caste as me.Things do become offensive. I then wonder if I should be active on social media and confront such stuff. But then I tell myself that I don't have to prove anything to anyone,” she told The Times of India.
Source: The Times of India
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